Storm Knocks Out Power for 1 Million and Causes 10,000 Flight Cancellations
A massive winter storm has left over 1 million customers across the U.S. without electricity, impacting areas as far west as New Mexico. The storm has also caused the cancellation of more than 10,000 flights, particularly affecting eastern and southern states grappling with heavy snow and ice.
As the storm unleashed snow, sleet, freezing rain, and dangerously low temperatures across the eastern two-thirds of the nation on Sunday, power outages surged. By 2:16 p.m. EST (1916 GMT), over 1 million customers were reported without power, with at least 330,000 in Tennessee and over 100,000 each in Mississippi and Louisiana. Other affected states included Texas, Kentucky, Georgia, West Virginia, and Alabama.
Flight disruptions were significant, with more than 10,800 flights canceled on Sunday alone, according to FlightAware. This followed over 4,000 cancellations on Saturday.
Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., reported that all flights were canceled on Sunday. Data from FlightAware indicated that over 80% of Sunday flights were canceled at several major airports, including those in New York, Philadelphia, and Charlotte, N.C.
Delta Air Lines announced a reduced flight schedule on Sunday, contingent on real-time weather conditions. The airline had already made adjustments on Saturday, with additional cancellations affecting Atlanta and East Coast cities like Boston and New York City. Delta also planned to deploy experts from cold-weather hubs to assist with de-icing and baggage operations at various southern airports.
The National Weather Service’s forecast for Sunday through Monday morning predicts heavy snowfall from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast, with accumulations of up to 18 inches expected in New England. Meanwhile, much of the Southeast and parts of the Mid-Atlantic are bracing for rain and freezing rain.
Forecasters warned of “bitterly cold temperatures and dangerously cold wind chills” extending from the southern plains to the Northeast, leading to prolonged hazardous travel and infrastructure challenges.
Federal and State Governments Respond
Describing the storms as “historic,” President Donald Trump approved federal emergency disaster declarations for several states, including South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia.
Seventeen states and the District of Columbia declared weather emergencies on Saturday, as reported by the Department of Homeland Security.
Officials noted that power lines could be particularly susceptible to damage due to the weight of the ice.
“This storm is unique because it will remain cold for an extended period,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on the “Fox News Sunday Briefing.” “The ice accumulation will keep power lines heavy, even if they don’t fall immediately.”
In response to the crisis, the Department of Energy issued an emergency order authorizing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to deploy backup generation resources at critical facilities, aiming to mitigate blackouts in the state. Additionally, the DOE authorized grid operator PJM Interconnection to utilize “specified resources” in the mid-Atlantic region, overriding state laws or environmental permits.
U.S. electric grid operators took precautionary measures on Saturday to prevent rotating blackouts. Dominion Energy, which operates the largest collection of data centers in Virginia, indicated that if the ice forecast holds, this winter event could be one of the most significant to impact the company.
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A massive winter storm has left over 1 million customers across the U.S. without electricity, impacting areas as far west as New Mexico. The storm has also caused the cancellation of more than 10,000 flights, particularly affecting eastern and southern states grappling with heavy snow and ice.
As the storm unleashed snow, sleet, freezing rain, and dangerously low temperatures across the eastern two-thirds of the nation on Sunday, power outages surged. By 2:16 p.m. EST (1916 GMT), over 1 million customers were reported without power, with at least 330,000 in Tennessee and over 100,000 each in Mississippi and Louisiana. Other affected states included Texas, Kentucky, Georgia, West Virginia, and Alabama.
Flight disruptions were significant, with more than 10,800 flights canceled on Sunday alone, according to FlightAware. This followed over 4,000 cancellations on Saturday.
Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., reported that all flights were canceled on Sunday. Data from FlightAware indicated that over 80% of Sunday flights were canceled at several major airports, including those in New York, Philadelphia, and Charlotte, N.C.
Delta Air Lines announced a reduced flight schedule on Sunday, contingent on real-time weather conditions. The airline had already made adjustments on Saturday, with additional cancellations affecting Atlanta and East Coast cities like Boston and New York City. Delta also planned to deploy experts from cold-weather hubs to assist with de-icing and baggage operations at various southern airports.
The National Weather Service’s forecast for Sunday through Monday morning predicts heavy snowfall from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast, with accumulations of up to 18 inches expected in New England. Meanwhile, much of the Southeast and parts of the Mid-Atlantic are bracing for rain and freezing rain.
Forecasters warned of “bitterly cold temperatures and dangerously cold wind chills” extending from the southern plains to the Northeast, leading to prolonged hazardous travel and infrastructure challenges.
Federal and State Governments Respond
Describing the storms as “historic,” President Donald Trump approved federal emergency disaster declarations for several states, including South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia.
Seventeen states and the District of Columbia declared weather emergencies on Saturday, as reported by the Department of Homeland Security.
Officials noted that power lines could be particularly susceptible to damage due to the weight of the ice.
“This storm is unique because it will remain cold for an extended period,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on the “Fox News Sunday Briefing.” “The ice accumulation will keep power lines heavy, even if they don’t fall immediately.”
In response to the crisis, the Department of Energy issued an emergency order authorizing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to deploy backup generation resources at critical facilities, aiming to mitigate blackouts in the state. Additionally, the DOE authorized grid operator PJM Interconnection to utilize “specified resources” in the mid-Atlantic region, overriding state laws or environmental permits.
U.S. electric grid operators took precautionary measures on Saturday to prevent rotating blackouts. Dominion Energy, which operates the largest collection of data centers in Virginia, indicated that if the ice forecast holds, this winter event could be one of the most significant to impact the company.
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